The present invention relates to separation of oil from a refrigerant gas flow and refers more particularly to separation from a refrigerant pressurized gas flow gas of oil entrained therein as a mist. This oil is present in the refrigerant as an incident of compression of the gas in a lubricated compressor and commonly is separated from the refrigerant gas flow as that flow discharges from the compressor with the separated oil being returned to the compressor.
Separation is effected for various reasons including need to prevent an oil mass buildup at a flow circuit location where refrigerant passage could be obstructed or blocked. Such a condition could result in system non-function, i.e., cooling, at the least, and no refrigerant return to a compressor with resultant compressor burnout at worst. Also oil carry through into certain refrigeration system locations can act as an insulator and cut down intended heat transfer from a space or substance to be cooled.
The desirability and/or need for separating oil from a refrigerant gas flow is known and to such end, various and highly effective oil separators, e.g., cartridge type units are known and used. But these known separators generally are used only in medium-to-large refrigeration systems as their cost and size deters use in small systems. Also, known types of separators if used in a small system, might capture all the lubricating oil and hold it if the oil return line connecting the separator and compressor becomes blocked, or the device by which oil discharge from the separator is effected malfunctions. In this last-mentioned case, the compressor being starved of lubricant burns out.